MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa (CNN) - At an early morning "Ask Mitt Anything" event Thursday, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney joined Sen. Hillary Clinton in criticizing Democratic candidate Sen. Barack Obama for saying he would meet with controversial world leaders during his first year as president.

"It's absolutely extraordinary that someone can be so out of touch with our world," the former Massachusetts governor said. "Meeting with [authoritarian tyrants] is not what a president does."

These comments centered around what Sen. Obama, D-Illinois, said Monday night during the CNN/YouTube debate. He was asked whether he would be willing to meet with world leaders of Iran, Syria, Cuba, Venezuela and North Korea.

"It is a disgrace that we have not spoken to them," Obama said at the podium. "The notion that somehow not talking to countries is punishment to them - which has been the guiding diplomatic principle of this administration - is ridiculous."

Not so, said Romney.

"A president meets with important leaders where there are mutual interests or where there's been progress or hope to be key progress," Romney said. "Discussions with people of that nature are done through other parties and
things of that nature, but you do not bestow the dignity of the presidency on people like [them]."

Obama's democratic opponent Hillary Clinton has also engaged in a war of words with the junior senator, saying she would use high-level envoys in situations like this.

"We're not going to just have our president meet with Fidel Castro [of Cuba]and Hugo Chavez [of Venezuela] and, you know, the president of North Korea, Iran and Syria until we know better what the way forward would be," Clinton said during the debate. "I don't want to be used for propaganda purposes."

When asked if this means his view aligns with Clinton's, Romney said, "If two Democrats are violently disagreeing with each other, I am probably going to be on the side of one or the other, but she happens to be right in that regard."

But speaking in his stump speech earlier, Romney showed no restraint against her. He said the New York senator would raise corporate taxes, which, he says, would be a bad idea because "the corporations will then go overseas." He also called her healthcare plan "Hillary-care," a phrase he's used at campaign stops before, saying "if you think healthcare is expensive now, wait until it's free!"

He never so much as mentioned any of his fellow Republican candidates seeking the nomination for president.

I do not agree with Mitt or Hillary. Why is it that these two people feel that they have the right to represent the people of the United States in such a arrogant and flamboyant way? We wonder why the rest of the world looks at the U.S. in such a disdainful manner, and you don't have to look any further than people like Clinton and Romney...real good policy there, let's continue to promote this whole "we're right, you're wrong, so there" attitude, and then expect to be a leader in the world. That is poor, poor leadership, at best.

It only shows the ignorance and closed-mindedness of the republicans and Hilary that they would not even consider speaking with representatives from those countries. How do they ever hope to draw peace between us and "tyrant" nations if we will not swallow our pride and show them the respect every nation deserves.

I swear the Republicans are just salivating over the possibility of having Clinton be the Democrats representative. Democrats have all the momentum here and they're going to pick THIS as a time to try to push A WOMAN through. Great job, guys.

"...[Y]ou do not bestow the dignity of the presidency on people like [them].”

No, because that is the attitude that has gotten us so far, in the world's eye, today. Ignore that those countries exist, leave them out of the negotiation table, and I'm sure they'll rush to comply with your wishes.

Huh?

When was the last time someone ignored what you had to say, and you suddenly felt the urge to do everything they asked, just so they would "bestow" upon you the dignity?

The lesson to be learned from the Clinton-Obama exchange is that the next person to answer the question always has a chance to improve upon your answer and one-up you! Hillary, this is a cheap shot. You owe the voting public more than this kind of attack. Move on.

This has to be the dumbest "war of words" I've ever seen. Obama was speaking of the need for the country (note use of the word "we") to have relations with our enemies. Hillary politicized it into the president is going to have dinner at Castro's house. She's politics as usual. Fake as the day is long.

Shouldn't be suprising that the Republicans are backing her. They realized long ago they'd rather demonize her (and her husband) than have to face Obama in the national elections.

This ridiculous arrogance has got to stop before we can help our nation be more secure and powerful on the world stage. Americans have fallen from grace in the eyes of many foreigners to the point where we can not speak english or use our own currency in their nations like we were once so fortunate to have the privilege of doing. Whats next, hiding our own citizenship for our safety?

Someone should show Romney a photo of Nixon visiting China, and Clinton a photo of Truman and Stalin at Yalta... Are these two still in the third grade? This is the real world, guys, and you can't just give the silent treatment to anyone you don't like. And talking to bad people doesn't automatically make you one.

I feel like the statements made by Clinton and Romney contain a lot of fluff, a lot of words that do not make any good points. Do they seriously think that the president of America should not try to meet with foreign leaders, understand them, and then attempt to help them understand us? I think that meeting with leaders of the world is important for our president to do and that Obama's eloquence and intelligence would be extraordinarily effective.

None of these are even qualified to meet with any leaders if someone is to meet with a leader of a foreign nation is should be Joe Biden chairman of foreign relations he is the best bet for Presidency WAKE UP!!

My problem really is that the last two Decades considering I am 25, we have been between the
Bushes and the Clintons, I just think we really need a make over at the White House! an Extreme
Make Over, Let's try someone Now, and at the moment Obama Makes way more sense! ( I just
finishing Reading his Book!

The absurdity here for me it that Romney doesn't ding Bush for being buds with Musharraf, or holding hands with Saudi princes. We're talking dictators and ruling monarchs here, but hey, they're not authoritarian tyrants, are they?

It's absurd that politicians like Mitt Romney can say things that completely degrade the entire population of a country because they don't follow the same political standards as we do. They are no less of human beings than us and deserve to be heard just as we deserve to be heard. The arrogance in that statement is simply beyond me.

As a Mass. Democrat all I can do is laugh over this one. Mitt supporting your plan is the kiss of death among Democratic voters. My goodness... considering the endorsement that Obama just picked up in NH it is truly a BAD day for Clinton Campaign in New England.